North American Turbocoupe Organization



melted alt wire
trashline Offline
Posting Freak
#1
Im guessing it is the main wire for the alt power. It is around 10 gauge and runs into the connecter facing the valve cover. I was cleaning my engine bay and the previous owners butt connecter had melted thru the wire cover. Any ideas? I replaced the connecter b/c it was in bad shape. I rescently just replaced the ground wire running from the battery to the block. The connecter always looked kinda melted. Im gonna wait a while to see if t melts up again Im hoping there was resistance from the ground that melted it and is now fixed.
Brian

www.BCPCustom.com

06 Cobalt SS
66 mustang 289 C4 handfully modded

Stingers IC install and tbird photos
http://community.webshots.com/user/trashline
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Martin Offline
Senior Member
#2
THere is a serious amount of amperage going through the alt output wire, and FOrd Engineers made the wire "just the right" guage. A guess at this time is that by using a butt connector, the connection is not very good, and is causing resistance. Butt connectors, for that matter any crimp connector can reduce amperage conductivity but up to 20 percent, or more if the wires are dirty when connected. Does not take much to creat a meltdown. If you have to replace the connectors, butt splice, with solder is the best. Solder is a neutral (full load, no resistance) connection. And use the full guage size of wire for replacement, or one heavier. Actually, good practice is to solder all replacement wiring, even crimp connectors, just crimp them and solder after. THere is a product called "Shrink Tube" which you can put over splices, and once heated, will shrink down to the wire "D" and portect the splice, far better than tape!
The alt plug as well, requires a good clean contact, and there is a lubricant that goes onto the connectors to protect them from corrosion, again a nasty for causing resistance and heat!
Martin
Stock 87, no mods, Black with the grey interior.
Boost High, Fly Low
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RDOG Offline
Posting Freak
#3
I lost my first TC to a alternator fire. Either replace the whole wire with the PA performance upgrade or go to the jy and pull the alternator wire of a 96 Tbird and take the 175amp fuse with it. It cost me $5 at the jy and I have had no issues with my two other TC's.
1986 Turbo Coupe. Boport StageIII head, Boport 2.1, Performance Techniques 50 trim hybird, StageII.63, stinger 3" exhaust, Phenolic spacer, Boglog header,NPR FMIC intercooler setup, kirban fpr, bigrmotorsports fuel rail, diablo water meth kit, CAI, remote mount TFI, CHE rear adj control arms, MAC girdle, 8.8 rear disc, aluminum drive shaft, H&R lowerings springs Tbird Turbo Specific, y MAS!!
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mike Offline
Member
#4
i dont have the part numbers with me.
Go to an electrical shop that deals with LED lights, switches, relays, wire, shrink tubing etc. NOT radio shack. look in their book for the chevy water tight pigtails. the chevy ones have green rubber isolators that make the pigtail water tight. i got my stuff at "The Light House" here in AZ. thier number is 602 272 8077. talk to the guy not any of the women. they are clueless.
dont you love it when you call somewhere for a certain part and you know they have it and you know your car has that certain part and the person on the phone says they dont have the part, or your car must have something differant?. thats how the women are at this place. women if you read this do not take it to heart. anyways.
what you will need is
1.the pigtails- mail and female
2.the green isolators for the male and female on both sides of the pigtails.
3.the spades "The Light House" 55857, 55853, 55858, 55854
4.shrink tubing if you need to add extra wire. the good stuff that has wax in it to make a water tight seal. the electrical place will have this too.Remember ONLY use the same gauge wire.
5. the CORRECT crimper for the spades. auto zoo has some but they are ratcheting and i do not like them because you cannot get the right FEEL when crimping. NAPA has them the part number is 726603. their like 30 bucks.
6.dialetric grease
NAPA has everything above but it will be expensive and they may have to order the stuff.
Get rid of the connector that you have on there now. the way it is set up you are just asking for a FIRE. get rid of the FORD connector all together. that connector is known for melting and creating fires. eleviate the problem all together. this job takes some time to do and to do it rite. it's not a 15 minute job.

my car is an 86. 86 down are the same conector by the alternator. i think 87-88 are differant. do not try to get a good one out of the junk yard either, because you will not fix the problem. what you will do is just put on a band- aid. the bad connector and melting with the fire thing will still be there.
hope this helps
[email protected]
mike
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mike Offline
Member
#5
the CHEVY weather tight connectors are by far superior to FORDS.
mike
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charles88tc Offline
Senior Member
#6
I had this same problem. where does that wire go, from the post on the alternator. I need to replace it, I did the crimp and solder thing, but I want an entire new length of wire. I dont want to get stranded on the side of the road again. It being winter and all I put a little more of a strain on my charging system, running heat and winsheild wipers when it rains. Not to mention head lights on my way to and from work. Car has no A/c So summer driving is 260 ac. (2 windows/ 60 miles per hour.
88 tc 5sp, Gillis, K&N on vam, Redneck cat back exaust (nothing from the cat back) 220,000 mile short block. Rebuilt 86 head and cam.
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Joe F Offline
Posting Freak
#7
If you've still got the alternator that has the plug for the output leads, ditch it quick! I came really close to a major fire because if this type of alternator; the only thing that saved me was that I was real close to home when it happened, some quick thinking, and a halon fire extinguisher - the alternator actually caught fire twice.

This is a known problem. To correct it get an alternator where the ouput lead connects to an ouput lug.

HTH
JR's Place - My '87 Turbocoupe
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trashline Offline
Posting Freak
#8
I was planning on doing the 3G upgrade guess it should happen quicker lol. thanks for the heads up
Brian

www.BCPCustom.com

06 Cobalt SS
66 mustang 289 C4 handfully modded

Stingers IC install and tbird photos
http://community.webshots.com/user/trashline
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40bob Offline
Member
#9
I had the wire from the alt getting hot also. I soldered in a new piece with a new end ring and it still got hot enough to melt the insulation after a while...I finally replaced the alt with another one I had and all is fine now...had to be something with the alt.
These cars (88TC) had alt/charging problems when they were new as I had the battery explode on my 3 month old 88TC. I was close to the Ford dealer and they washed the engine compartment down with soda and replaced the battery and the alt. They said they had a problem with the alt occasionaly way over charging..
btw...The service mgr there is my cousin and he has an MBA and is an exceptionally good mechanic. I do trust my dealer.
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charles88tc Offline
Senior Member
#10
Dang Bob I wish I had your problem!
88 tc 5sp, Gillis, K&N on vam, Redneck cat back exaust (nothing from the cat back) 220,000 mile short block. Rebuilt 86 head and cam.
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